The Lady or the Tiger
by naughtsandcrosses
Summary: Behind two doors lie Eli's future. Clare is leading towards one of them. Will she lead him to the lady and lose him to her, or lose him to the tiger and watch him be swallowed his own demons? Based on The Lady or the Tiger by Frank Stockton.
1. The Lady or the Tiger?

Greetings! Please enjoy this new story I'm trying out! I read _The Lady or the Tiger_ by Frank Stockton in my English class **(Special shout-out to the best English teacher ever, Mr. Baumann!) **and I was given an assignment to write a sequel to the open ended classic. This first chapter is my god-honest true writing I was using for class, except there were absolutely, no names. This portion of my sequel was off requirements to I took it and used it as the first chapter of this story. Very short, but it's a flash into the future.

So enjoy! Tell me what you think in a **REVIEW.**

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><p>If someone you loved were in danger, you would save them, right? But, what if behind that love was a terrible jealousy lurking, ready to pounce and make things that much worse? This is all hypothetical, of course, but maybe I should further explain these questions in depth to shed light as to why they are of such dire importance:<p>

As I peered down into the stadium, seated in an elegant chair made from the finest cloths and gems, I was shaking on the inside. I watched Eli stare into the abyss, trying to detect behind which door held the tiger, and which the lady. Both doors were heavily soundproofed, and there was no way he could have figured out which one held which. The entire coliseum grew quiet.

In a flash, he turned to me. His emerald eyes broke through all my walls. There was something inside them, which I had never ever seen before – fear. The eyes I had fallen so deeply in love with were clouded with fear and unshed tears, which I knew he was holding back so he could be strong for me.

I put my hand over my heart and tried not to cry as I saw the broken man staring back at me. As Eli longingly gazed, a small flicker of hope shone through the brightness of his eyes. He wanted an answer. He wanted me to stand up for him. But what am I to do? I can't stand up to my father. He'll surely kill us both. Father isn't exactly the most kind, or most forgiving person in this kingdom. Maybe if I talked to him, I could…! No, I cannot. I must hold my tongue.

Before this day, I had done some investigating. I discovered which door held the hungry tiger, the most ferocious in the entire kingdom, and which held the lady. There's a slight problem though. If I lead my love towards the lady, I lose him to her. But if I lead him to the tiger, I lose him forever.

When you put it that way, it seems all too simple.

Not exactly.

The lady who was chosen for this trial – her name is Imogen Moreno - is one of surpassing beauty, and is so much more beautiful than I. She has a pretty face but a heart of black. Her manipulative ways push people away but they are drawn back to her like magnets because of her appearance. Imogen bends things to her advantage and enjoys seeing other people, especially me, in agony.

Suddenly, it all seems so much more complicated.

Still, Eli stared. The hope in those eyes was starting to disappear, as if he was beginning to regret turning to me for help. I blinked back tears and made my decision. I lifted my right hand which had rested on the arm of my chair, and made a quick movement to the right. Eli nodded, and suddenly, the twinkle in his eyes returned, and he smirked. He was making me a promise, but I don't know if he'll be able to keep it. I know the decision I made. He will not until he opens the door.

Eli strode towards the door with pride – and I started to cry; the tears I had been holding so strongly back were finally falling.

But it seems I skipped ahead of myself. Let me go back a few years and explain how this could have ever happened.

End of Chapter One

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><p>So you are not confused, this was a flash into the future. Now I'm going back into the past. If you have not ever read <em>The Lady or the Tiger<em> by Frank Stockton, I highly recommend you do. It's an amazing short story – probably the best I've ever read in my life.

So… leave me a review? Until next time!


	2. Bring Me To Life

Hello again! As soon as I posted the first chapter, I immediately started working on the second chapter! I'm really excited to write this piece, and at the moment I have many ideas rolling around in my head so I'm excited to write many pieces… but hopefully I give the original story some justice. I haven't worked out all of the kinks yet, but I will certainly be working on that.

Sorry I have been gone for so long. School is rough.

So, enjoy this next chapter!

Tell me what you think in a **REVIEW.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Degrassi, _The Lady or the Tiger, _or Bring Me To Life by Evanescence.

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><p><em>How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?<br>__Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

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><p><strong>Clare<strong>

When I was twelve, my mother died. Sounds the typical sob story; mother dies; father becomes a total control freak. Thinking that way, you make it sound so much simpler than it actually is. I am the princess of a vast kingdom, and my father is king. When mother died, a part of the kingdom did as well. We all loved her – for she was kind in her own ways but strict when she had to be. It was quite difficult for us, for my father especially. After that day, he changed. He lost the shine in his eyes, and became cruel, even barbaric. He controlled me and my sister Darcy's every move. Being Darcy was fifteen at the time, she was able to speak a little bit more for herself, but to no avail. She was basically driven to run away, and even after many searches of the land, we never found her.

Although I was still young, I was embraced with wit and reason. I sometimes outsmarted the town wizards in chess and spouted random philosophies that even the crazies couldn't even imagine. I understood what death was, and even though I took it into account and moved on, it still left a scar. It made me realize that you never know what you have until it's gone, and I cherished life a little bit more.

A few weeks after my mother's funeral, a new noble family came to court. They were from a distant land, and were taken into our hands because their home was war-stricken. When my father took them in so quickly, I was surprised. I expected a long search of their history, and they were stripped of their noble status but no, they were taken right in. This sort of puzzled me, but as time went on, I slowly forgot my puzzlement.

It was a small noble family, named the Goldsworthys', a wee size of three. There was Thomas, nicknamed Bullfrog, his wife Cecilia, nicknamed CeCe, and their son, who was coincidentally only a year older than I, Elijah, who preferred to be called Eli. CeCe, Bullfrog, and Eli made themselves at home as if they had lived here all their lives. They quickly blended in, attending royal parties and court meetings, and jumping right into society.

I found them quite interesting to begin with, but maybe it was because they were just a little odd. Bullfrog had a passion for music, and even if he was a noble, he sure didn't act like one. He didn't dress in the finest clothes or jewelries, and neither did CeCe. They were pretty grounded; talking to the peasants, and making sure everyone was happy. CeCe helped out in the kitchens every now and then, preparing food and whatnot. She sure did have a knack for making something that sounded totally repulsive and make it into something delicious.

Eli, now he was just something different. He was quiet from the start, but of the three Goldsworthys, I found him the most alluring. He had shaggy jet back hair, long enough to be whipped in the wind, but not long enough to tie into a ponytail, and bright emerald green eyes. All of the maidens of the land were quite infatuated with him, but still he never paid them any mind. From many times glancing at him, I always saw him writing in a black journal. He was quite attractive, I will not lie, but I was never as infatuated as the other girls were.

Eli never put himself out there. He was always hiding in the shadows, and sometimes if you did not look, you would not notice he was there. You never heard him say a word, and his face was always either buried in that journal, or in some sort of book. He never really attended social gatherings, and never was interested in a maiden. He was a peculiar one, but one that I wouldn't mind knowing.

A few days before my sixteenth birthday, I was wondering the corridors of the library as I usually do when I have nothing to do. The library was vast; an interminable circular hall of shelves and shelves of books, on any topic you can think of. If you want to know the anatomy of a toadstool, I'm pretty sure it's in there somewhere.

I was wondering around, when I saw a glimpse of a figure. They were hunched over, shaking, and appeared to be weeping. As I got closer, I took in the physical appearance of the figure. It was male, dressed in almost all black, with black shaggy hair. I glided up to the boy and placed my hand on his shoulder.

Eli sat up, his emerald eyes red and puffy around the edges, a few tears cascading down his cheeks. He jerked his shoulder back, and his eyes blazed of angriness, and immediately ran out of the room.

Confused, I went after him and got in front of him, and grabbed him by the shoulders to make him stop. He growled at me, and made an attempt to get away but I stopped him.

"I think it wise if you let me go, _your Highness._" He snarled.

"Not before you tell me what's wrong, _Elijah._" I snapped back.

Eli's face iced over, and he got out of my grasp, and was out of sight before I had a chance to catch him again. I sighed, and returned to the library.

End of Chapter Two~

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><p>Sorry it's short. I meant for it to be longer but I needed to update so you guys didn't lose interest… Again, I'm really sorry for my absence, but school has been rough. I recently got out of a relationship and I'm still pretty torn up about it, along with keeping my grades up. I will be writing more during my Christmas break. I'm working on a few pieces so my time is split between different pieces.<p>

Until next time! Review?


	3. Bewitched

Hello again! Here's chapter three of The Lady or the Tiger!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi, or Bewitched by Blood on the Dance Floor

Review?

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><p><em>All I need is one star in the sky, wish for you every night.<em>

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><p>For weeks it went on; Eli ignoring my existence. I should have expected as much, as anyone with something to hide would want to disappear, in hopes you forgot your curiosity. In truth, my curiosity never died. I still lay awake at night thinking about why he was crying in the library, and why he was so nasty when I had confronted him. But as time went on, I figured it was no use, and pushed it to the back of my mind to be forgotten.<p>

About two months after I had my confrontation with Eli, I found myself once again in the library. I explored its vast shelves, and read everything that struck me as interesting. I finally sat down on the floor, leaning against a bookshelf with a stack of books that I wanted to read. For hours I sat there, and it wasn't until past sundown that I realized that my backside was aching, but I didn't care. I placed all the books back in their proper place, and on my way back to my chamber, I heard whispering. I peeked around the corner and saw two figures talking in hushed voices.

"…know what you did, Elijah. The kingdom will only stay ignorant for so much longer," a familiar voice said. I discovered it was Imogen Moreno, a long time enemy of mine. She had an attention span of a peanut, and was always stirring up trouble.

"Firstly Imogen, stop trying to scare me. Second, do _not_ call me by that name. You know _nothing_ of my past, and neither does anyone else in this whole castle. No amount of blackmail will make me interested in you, so just stop while you're ahead." Eli said.

"Who said I'm interested in you?" said a slightly flirty Imogen. She reached up and touched Eli's arm, and I felt my face grow hot with jealousy. Eli jerked his arm away almost instantly, and my face cooled down when I saw his rejection.

"Stop it, I _know_ you are. The way you always wear some sort of revealing clothing when I'm around, in hopes of seducing me, and you always get all touchy feely on me when it's unnecessary. I'm_ not_ interesting in you. So do me a big favor, probably the only favor you'll ever do me: _Leave me alone._" Eli said bitterly. He walked away after that, leaving Imogen with an annoyed expression. She went back into her chamber and then there was silence.

After a few moments, I slowly backed up and my backside met a hard chest. I jumped and turned around and was met by Eli.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop, _princess._" He said coldly.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop." I answered nervously. I bit my lip and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and shyly breaking contact with Eli's intense stare for a second and then looking back up into his green eyes.

"How much did you hear?" He asked.

"Not enough to know what Imogen was blackmailing you about." I raised my eyebrows.

Eli smirked, "That's good. Don't believe that Imogen is actually sure about what she knows. She knows absolutely nothing. So when rumors start flying around, just know they aren't true."

"Why do you care about what I think about what you've done?" I asked curiously.

"I don't," Eli shrugged, and began to walk away.

"It sure seems like you do, _Elijah._" I said. Eli hissed, stopped in his tracks, and suddenly whipped around and pinned me to the wall. His strong arms were wrapped forcefully around my bicep, but not enough to leave a bruise. I looked up at him startled. This close to him, I noticed how pink and full his lips were, and they looked so inviting. His eyes were a dark green, with a tint of black, almost like looking into a dense forest at nightfall.

"Do _not_ call me that name." Eli growled.

"But it is your name. You never answered my question." I said.

"I hate that name. I prefer Eli. To answer your question, I still don't care what you think of me." Eli answered. His grip on my arms slacked and I managed to get free. My arm was a little red but there would be no bruising.

"You know, I don't get you. You come here suddenly, and then you seem to have something to hide. In this kingdom, we have no secrets." I blurted out, biting my lip in concentration as I focused on his eyes, as if they would somehow tell me everything and end my curiosity.

Eli chuckled, and got close to me, even _closer_ than he was when he grabbed me, and so much so, that I felt his warm breath tickle my face. My heartbeat kicked up and I gasped softly. He smelled like a deep musk, and if possible I wanted to be even closer to him.

"Well princess, there are some people in this world who weren't raised in a _perfect_ world. Some of us had to live on the streets and beg for food. Something I'm sure, you never had to do. Everything is done for you. I will tell you this, and this only: My life has never been close to as perfect as yours has. I guarantee if you lived the way I did, you wouldn't survive two days." Eli smirked.

"What makes you so sure?" I rolled my eyes.

Eli ignored my question, and instead stated bluntly, "You have pretty eyes."

I was puzzled by his sudden comment, and was taken aback at how he went from insulting me one moment, and complementing me the next.

"So do you." I said confidently. I have no idea where the sudden confidence came from, but I'm glad it kicked in.

Eli smirked, and…was that a blush? He flushed a light pink and looked away from my eyes. He fidgeted nervously, and then suddenly looked back at me serious again.

"We never had this conversation." He said, before walking away.

I stood there, puzzled, and wondered just happened. Eli confronts me about eavesdropping, tells me he never had a perfect life, basically insulted me, complemented me, then walked away? By now, I was completely confused, and my head started to ache the more I pondered it. My heart was still beating rapidly at how close he was to me. How luscious his lips looked, and how intoxicating his eyes were… I pulled myself out of my thoughts and went back to my chamber to change for dinner.

Dinner was silent, as it always has been since Mother's death, and I went back up to my chamber without so much uttering any words besides "Thank you."

I lay in bed that night, replaying me and Eli's conversation in my mind over and over. I mostly thought about how he had blushed when I returned his complement. Maybe he likes me? It's no way to tell, as he's so bipolar towards me. Wait… why am I so concerned about Eli liking me? Why am I thinking about his full lips and beautiful eyes?

The answer was so incredibly simple, and for some reason, was very difficult for me to admit to myself. But it also made complete sense. How my heart picked up every time I saw him, and how I just wanted to be closer to him when he came near.

I think I like Eli Goldsworthy.

So I did what every girl with a crush would do; wished he liked me too.

End of Chapter 3

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><p>Umm, I certainly hope Clare realizing she likes Eli is not too rushed. I seriously sat down with no idea what to write for this chapter and this is how it came out. Sorry if it's a tad rushed, but nothing is going to happen considering romance for a few more chapters I promise.<p>

What do you think is up with Eli? What are your predictions?

Let me know what you think in a review! Until next time!


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